


A Truth Universally Acknowledged

by Koltarmi



Category: Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, i am a piece of trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 19:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10287722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koltarmi/pseuds/Koltarmi
Summary: The monotony in the small Californian town of Jedha is something Jyn Erso has become accustomed to.Majoring in mass communications, Jyn expects her life to be quiet and uneventful, the way it’s always been since she first moved to Jedha. However, things take an unexpected turn when three strangers decide to stay in town for the summer and a vlog for Jyn’s thesis project starts to gain attention.A rebelcaptain Lizzie Bennet Diaries AU. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modern webseries adaption of Pride and Prejudice.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After re-reading The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, I read the novelization of Rogue One and I couldn't get this AU out of my head, so I decided to write it down.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the justice system is inherently flawed. 

 

If it wasn't, Jyn Erso knew that her parents would still be alive. 

 

An accident, the newspapers had claimed. The construction of a new wing at the research center pierced through a pipe, causing a deadly gas leak.

 

It had killed 73 people, two of them had been Galen and Lyra Erso.

 

Galen, Lyra, and their team had been commissioned by a shadow organization for a project. Her parents never told her the specific details, but she was able to gather bits and pieces by eavesdropping the quiet late-night conversation they had.

 

It was a weapon; an anesthetic gas that would suffocate those that were unfortunate enough to inhale it. Something that could be employed to protect Britain’s citizens if the world faced an invasion. 

 

Jyn remembers a man in white that would come over to their home sometimes.

 

_ “A precaution in these troubling times,”  _ the man had once said.

 

Her parents had decided that the public had a right to know. The sponsors of the project, however, did not agree and silenced them to ensure its secrecy. 

 

She was eight when her parents died and they were accused of treason. She was shipped off to North America to be placed under the care of Saw Gerrera, an old family friend.

 

She was twelve when she finally put the pieces together.

 

By the age of thirteen, Jyn Erso had grown to despise the institution that had taken her home away and both her parents.

* * *

 

In her first year at university, Jyn had taken Dr. Gardiner's course on Media Theory as an elective. What was meant to be a class to earn a credit, quickly became one of her favourite courses and the subject she decided to major in.

 

(And if her marks in those courses happened to help her boost her overall GPA, well, she really couldn't complain.)

 

But as she was reading through the thesis outline, she felt a sense of worry she had never had before in the previous courses Dr. Gardiner taught. 

 

Overall, it was simple. She would create her own media company and shadow three real media companies. Afterwards, she had to write a thesis paper that analyzed all the company viewers’ statistics, her fictional company included, and how she could improve her said company with the information she had learned from shadowing.

 

It would take a lot of work, but it could be done.

 

What she struggled with was her fictional media company. She needed to create content for her company, but she was drawing an absolute blank in terms of ideas.

 

“Too bad you just can't fight a bunch of people and upload that,” Bodhi added unhelpfully once she explained her predicament.

 

Jyn groaned and rested her head against the cold kitchen counter of their shared flat. “I was hoping for an actual suggestion.” 

 

Bodhi had been Jyn's childhood friend since the age of six. They had reconnected again when Jyn moved and was put under Saw’s supervision. 

 

“Why don’t you just talk about things that happen in your life?” 

 

“You mean like a vlog? Wouldn’t be a very interesting one.” she said. “Nothing happens here.” 

 

Bodhi shrugged and continued to shovel cereal into his mouth. “Well, I’ve got nothing then,” he mumbled through a mouthful of fruit loops.

 

Their third roommate, Baze, slowly shuffled out of his room, his eyes were still heavy with sleep. 

 

“Morning, did you sleep well?” Jyn asked.

 

Baze shook his head and made a noise that sounded like a grunt as he began to make a pot of coffee. 

 

Baze had been living with them for the past four years and he was a man of few words. He owned the coffee shop down the street. As broke and caffeine-deprived college students, Jyn and Bodhi had happily welcomed him into their tiny flat and family. 

 

“Shit,” Jyn said, noticing the time. “I have to get going or I’ll be late for my lecture.”

* * *

 

Later that day, Jyn sat at her desk staring at the brand new YouTube channel she had created. Her brainstorming session was going nowhere. Just as she was going to give up, Bodhi entered her room with a big grin on his face. 

 

“You’ll never believe what just happened.”

 

Jyn spun around in her seat to face him. “It must be something good if you’re this excited.”

 

Bodhi sat down on her bed. “You know that super expensive and super fancy house that’s been empty for so long?”

 

“Netherfield? What about it?”

 

Netherfield was a renovated mansion built on the outskirts of Jedha. It was rarely ever occupied and the most common tenants were usually old rich people who were looking to get away from the oppressive city heat for the summer.

 

“It’s been rented out by three very attractive guys. Or at least I think they’re attractive,” Bodhi said. “I only saw their backs.”

 

Jyn shook her head and returned to her work. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Mrs. Rogers on the third floor. You’ve become an even worse gossip monger than her.”

 

He rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh. “Oh come on, Jyn! Something interesting finally happens and you don't care at all. Aren't you a little bit curious?”

 

“I can guarantee that they must be ridiculously rich if they're staying in Netherfield. Probably pompous and stuck-up as well,” Jyn added.

 

“Well, it turns out one of them is a family friend of Elle Gibson, so they're coming to her wedding on Saturday.” 

 

Jyn glanced at the empty YouTube channel on her screen. “Elle Gibson has invited the entire town to her wedding, I doubt we'll even speak to them, much less even see their faces. Honestly, I think we’ll be better off that way too.”

 

Bodhi exhaled another dramatic sigh as he rolled off of her bed. “Ugh, don’t crush my dreams, Jyn.”

* * *

 

Jyn kicked off her heels as she dragged a slightly intoxicated Bodhi back to his bed. 

 

After placing a glass of water by his bedside, Jyn went back into her room. As the door closed with a soft click, she thought of the events that had happened that night at the Gibson wedding.

 

The cold brown eyes that bore holes into the back of her head. The stupid bouquet toss. The stiff and awkward movements as they swayed in place on the dance floor.

 

Her gaze swept across her room, looking for the camera she had rented for her thesis project. Without the lights on it almost escaped her notice, melting into the dark silhouette of her desk.

 

_ ‘Nothing happens here,’  _ she had said.

 

Jyn looked at the camera; her decision already made. She turned on the lights and set up the camera. 

 

Sitting down in her now wrinkled and champagne-stained dress, she looked into the camera and pressed the record button. 

  
“My name is Jyn Erso and this is my life.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos! I've had so much fun writing this fic and it gives me an excuse to rewatch LBD again! I would love to hear what you think about it so far!

22 576 views. 

 

Jyn could hardly believe it. When she saw the number of views on her first video, she had thought it was a mistake. 

 

Despite refreshing the page numerous times, the number stayed steady and even garnered twenty more views during her state of disbelief.

 

After sobering up, Bodhi had barged into her room. He had been close to tears and clutching his sides, Jyn's video paused on his phone

 

“Oh come on,” Bodhi said. He quickly glanced at the camera that was filming them. “He couldn't have been that bad…”

 

Bodhi had come in while she was filming and had insisted on staying to provide an alternate perspective to the one she presented in her video. 

 

“You weren't the one who had to dance with him. He was like a stone statue,” Jyn protested. “I swear Elle Gibson purposely aimed her bouquet at my head. And Andor didn't even want to be part of the garter toss, the thing hit him in the chest despite him being as far from the dance floor as he possibly could be. I’ve never met anyone as stiff-limbed and robotic as him.”

 

When they had been forced to dance together, Jyn had tried to be polite by asking him some questions in an attempt to negate the awkwardness of the situation they found themselves in. 

 

_ “Have you been enjoying stay in Jedha?” she asked. _

 

_ “Not really,” he said, his eyes looking everywhere except in her direction.  _

 

_ “Do you enjoy dancing?” she asked.  _

 

_ He paused for a moment. His eyes flickered down and he held her gaze for a few silent moments before he said, “Not if I can help it.” _

 

She was fine about dismissing him as a rude jerk after their dance. 

 

“Also, I heard from Mrs. Rogers that he was an up and coming criminal lawyer before he inherited his family's company,” Jyn added. 

 

“And you call me a gossip monger,” Bodhi muttered under his breath.

 

Her door opened again and this time it was Baze who was peeking through. “What are you doing in here, little sister?”

 

“Just talking about last night for my thesis project.” Jyn's smile became mischievous as she looked at Baze. She exchanged a quick smirk with Bodhi. “And by the look on your face, I can tell somebody is still riding a high from last night.”

 

The barest hint of a smile was visible of the gruff man’s face. “Chirrut is a very interesting man,” Baze said.

 

“Somebody has a crush,” Bodhi mock-whispered to the camera.

 

Chirrut Îmwe was one of the three new tenants at Netherfield; the second being Cassian Andor and their third friend, Kay Tu. 

 

When they arrived at the wedding, Baze had taken an instant liking to the blind man. They talked to each other throughout the entire event. Chirrut had even convinced Baze to dance with him.

 

By all accounts, Chirrut was kind, funny, and charming. What Jyn couldn't comprehend was why someone as nice as him would be friends with someone like Cassian Andor. 

 

As Jyn was helping a drunk Bodhi go to the bathroom, she had overheard a conversation between the two friends in the reception area.

 

_ Chirrut stood beside his friend. “Cassian, why don’t you go ask Ms. Erso for another dance?”  _

 

_ Cassian was fidgeting with the cuffs of his suit and sighed. “You’ve spent the evening with the only tolerable person in that room, so stop wasting your time with me.” _

 

_ His friend chided him. “Now, Cassian…” _

 

_ “Jyn Erso is decent enough, but why should I continue to dance with her?”  _

 

Jyn had been tempted to walk over to him and punch the man in the face. The only reason she hadn’t was Bodhi’s insistence that he was going to throw up on his shoes.

 

“I think Chirrut is great, I just wished he would keep better company,” Jyn said, pointedly looking at the camera. “Andor acted like a complete snob. He actually thanked me for the dance, which was weird.” 

 

“Maybe he just isn’t comfortable around people he doesn’t know,” Baze suggested. 

 

“Being uncomfortable doesn’t give you a pass to be a dick. Even Kay was better than him. He has an extremely dry sense of humour, but at least he’s got one,” Jyn said, remembering her brief interaction with Kay Tu. 

 

He had made some comment about the statistical likelihood of marriages ending in divorce as the groom indiscreetly did a once-over of the maid of honour. The comment had been so unexpected that Jyn had to stifle a grin.

 

“Well, suffice to say, I dislike Andor just as much as he dislikes me,” Jyn said, her tone expressing a note of finality. 

 

If Cassian Andor wanted to place himself on a high and lonely pedestal, that was fine by her. She couldn't care less about what he thought about Jedha or her.

 

But the lingering glance he had given her as they had danced was inexplicably burned into her memory.

* * *

 

When Chirrut first proposed the idea, Cassian had politely declined. He had a company to run and couldn't possibly leave it for a vacation in some unknown town in northern California.

 

It had been two years since he left the courtroom in exchange for a private office and boardrooms, but he was still hesitant about leaving for extended periods of time. Being the CEO of a media company was a challenge that he had come to enjoy. 

 

However, after Kay found him pulling his twelfth all-nighter at the office, his friend called an intervention. Chirrut, Leia, and Luke had been invited; the latter being both his friends and his employees. 

 

They all agreed that he worked too much and needed a break. When he tried to defend himself, Kay had displayed a graph on his tablet that documented the number of hours Cassian had worked overtime in the past month and how that had been negatively affecting his overall health and wellbeing. 

 

In the end, he was forced to go on the compromise that he could bring his laptop and work on anything that came his way. 

 

Leia, who was the COO of the company, reassured him that everything would be fine without him, but that didn’t stop Cassian from refreshing his e-mail every two minutes, praying for something work-related to show up in his inbox. 

 

It was an idiotic assumption that Chirrut and Kay would let him spend his entire vacation in his room to work in peace, but a hope he still held nonetheless. It had been going well, until Chirrut came back on the third day in town stating that they would be attending a wedding of some of old family friends. 

 

What he had failed to mention was that the whole town had been invited to the wedding too. Cassian was fine with crowds, he even preferred them. Crowds allowed him to slip easily out of view.

 

But once the trio entered the banquet hall, the crowd had stared at them and parted like the Red Sea as they made their way into the ballroom.

 

Chirrut and Kay had simply ignored the attention, but Cassian had felt uneasy. 

 

He easily commanded and handled the attention of a courtroom or a board meeting, but the hundreds of strangers staring at him like a zoo exhibit put him on edge. A similar occurrence happened once they stepped into the ballroom, but thankfully it only lasted a second before everyone returned to the festivities.

 

That was when Cassian noticed a pair of inquisitive green eyes staring at him from across the room. 

 

The woman looking at him was leaning against the wall on the other end of the room. She was small, but the look in her eyes shone with ferocity. Her arms were crossed and she stood with confidence, calmly observing everyone around her, before pausing at him. 

 

They had stared at each other for a moment, before she turned her head and spoke to the two men beside her with an ease that suggested that they knew each other well. 

 

Chirrut, being the social person he was, approached the long-haired man the woman had been speaking to. They got on together like a house on fire, which troubled Cassian. Baze Malbus seemed to be an amiable person, but Chirrut was far too trusting and people could be deceiving; he had learned that lesson the hard way. Through Baze, Cassian learned the names of his companions; the bearded man was Bodhi and the woman was Jyn. 

 

_ ‘Jyn,’  _ he had repeated in his head. It was a simple, short, and sharp name. 

 

It suited her.

 

However, his discomfort of his new surroundings outweighed his curiosity about Jyn, so he chose to stick by the wall and simply observe the whirlwind of activity before him. 

 

When the garter belt hit him in the chest, he didn’t even register what it was before he caught it. He was completely certain that Chirrut had bribed the groom, so that he would interact with someone besides himself and Kay. 

 

He was also certain that the universe enjoyed his discomfort when the bride’s bouquet crashed into Jyn’s arms. 

 

Their dance had been less than stellar. He had a tendency to lock up when he was in unfamiliar situations. Dancing with a woman who had captivated his interest was unknown territory he had never explored. 

 

He had been brutally honest when he answered her questions; there was no point in lying to her. He would have preferred to be in his office in San Francisco. After all, it was one of the few places in the world he felt comfortable being himself. 

 

Cassian thanked her and left the dance floor as fast as he possibly could.

 

Chirrut had a smug looking grin on his face when Cassian returned to the wall he had been leaning against. Although he was blind, Chirrut had the ability read most people with surprising accuracy.  He knew his friend meant well, but the whole night had been far outside his comfort zone, so he had said a response that he knew would shut down any contrived ideas of matchmaking Chirrut had. 

 

_ “Jyn Erso is decent enough, but why should I continue to dance with her?”   _

 

He winced as he thought about his harsh words. Jyn was far beyond _ ‘decent enough’ _ , but if he had said anything that flattered her, Chirrut would have a smug grin on his face for the rest of the night. Like him, she had also been observing the room and had showed no interest in dancing the whole night.

 

There was nothing to discuss and no possibility of a relationship forming. In two months, the three would be back in San Francisco, back to where they belonged. Jedha would soon be nothing but a memory of sharp green eyes and an awkward first dance. That was the plan. 

  
It was supposed to be the plan, but Cassian’s plans always had the habit of going awry. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn, much to her chagrin, finds that Cassian has become a regular at Baze's shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been forever since I've updated, but I promise to update soon after this chapter is up!

Jyn was certain that Baze was absolutely smitten with Chirrut.

 

Everyday after work, Baze would return home with a slight grin on his face. Chirrut had become a regular at Baze’s cafe and the two would talk for hours on end.

 

As nauseatingly sweet as it was to watch them interact, there was one downside to it all: Cassian Andor.

 

Cassian accompanied Chirrut on his visits to the cafe, which was where Jyn spent her time in between lectures.

 

Chirrut was an absolute pleasure to talk to. Cassian, on the other hand, sat silently sipping his iced tea as he judged everyone in the store. Some days, he would work on his laptop, which significantly lowered the amount of judgemental staring that occurred.

 

H

There was one brightside to the whole situation. The first time Cassian visited with Chirrut, he was wearing a newsboy cap and Jyn thought he looked ridiculous in it.

 

Despite getting tons of material for her vlogs, Baze's cafe was the only good place for coffee in the entire town, so Jyn had no choice but to suffer his presence if she was going to avoid falling asleep in class.

 

Occasionally, he would look at her and open his mouth, as if he was going to say something to her, but he never spoke a single word to her.

 

She was glad. Anything he wanted to say to her was most likely condescending or rude.

 

As the universe didn't think that Cassian's presence was torture enough for Jyn, he actually decided to talk to her one day about the one subject she loathed.

 

Baze and Chirrut were taking by the counter. She was in the middle of writing some notes down when she noticed Cassian, who was across the table from her. His eyes were on her once again.

 

"What?" she asked. Her pen glided across the page as she glared at him. He seemed surprised that she was initiating a conversation with him.

 

 _"Probably hasn't interacted with a normal human in years,"_ she had thought, noting the comment in her head for a future video.

 

"Erso, that is your last name, right?" She only just registered that he spoke with an accent. She felt the oddest sensation of camaraderie because of it. She, Bodhi, and Baze weren’t the only people in town who spoke in a ‘funny’ way anymore. It was the only thing she didn't completely despise about him.

 

She nodded, continuing on with her notes.

 

"As in Galen and Lyra Erso?" he queried. She felt her muscles tense as an automatic response to her parents' names. "It was a case in London about-"

 

"I know what happened," she snapped at him.

 

_‘I know that my parents were condemned by a system they believed in. I know exactly when my life went to shit.’_

 

Cassian continued, unbothered by Jyn’s terse response. “The case was quite fascinating. Were they your parents?”

 

She couldn't speak. The pen in her hand made a sharp noise as it cracked.

 

“If they were, I'm sorry for your loss.”

 

“I don't want or need your pity, Andor,” she replied, her voice finally returning to her. Jyn threw her things into her bag and left the cafe without looking back.

* * *

 

Baze had warned Jyn that posting videos of herself expressing her hatred for Cassian Andor was not a smart move, but she waved off his warning.

 

There was little to no chance that he would ever find it. He was always too busy working and believing he was better than everyone else in the world.

 

After all, it was her vlog and her thesis project.

 

Baze then attempted to convince Jyn to portray a less biased opinion of Cassian on her videos. She scoffed and said that her portrayal of him was quite accurate to the original and reiterated the two arguments she had for Baze's original warning.

 

She thought that was the end of it.

 

Looking back, she realized she should have known better

 

Jyn clicked the most recent video on her channel titled, "Jyn Erso is in Denial"

 

Bodhi was wearing a newsboy cap similar to one Cassian wore. Baze sat across from him, his long hair tied up and clipped away from his face.

 

"Hello, everyone," Baze said in the video. "I have a point to make to Jyn. She hasn't been the most understanding when it comes to the portrayal of certain events." He shifted over in his seat and Bodhi slid into frame, a grin on his face.

 

"My name is Bodhi Rook and this is Baze Malbus. And we're here to say that Jyn Erso is in denial."

 

The two then proceeded to reenact the past weekend where Baze had invited Chirrut, Kay, and Cassian to hang out at the local bar, _The Whills._ Jyn had purposely not been informed of Cassian's presence and her mood had instantly soured when she noticed that he had been invited.

 

Bodhi had assumed the role of Cassian while Baze pretended to be Kay. According to her two roommates, when Kay had told Cassian that Jyn was walking in his direction, Cassian immediately pulled out his phone and looked down at it.

 

"Are you fake texting?" Baze as Kay asked, incredulous.

 

"It's important," Bodhi's Cassian replied, turning back to his phone.

 

She made the mental note to change all her passwords and to log out of her account on her computer.

* * *

 

Every year at Jedha University, representatives from across the state would come by and recruit potential employees for their companies. Students found it was the fastest way to get a job once they were finished with their studies.

 

Jyn watched as Bodhi pulled at the collar of his suit.

 

“Bodhi, stop fidgeting,” Jyn whispered as they walked by the various booths.

 

“Sorry.” He smoothed his palms down the front of his suit jacket. “I just want to make a good impression,” he sighed.

 

“We all do, but you’re not gonna do that if you act like you’re being interrogated,” Jyn said, straightening his tie. “You’re going to do fine. Any company would be lucky to have you as their software engineer.”

 

Bodhi nodded his thanks at her encouragement. “I hope so.”

 

“You don’t need hope. You’ve got talent and that’s what matters.”

 

Bodhi stopped in his tracks. “Thank you for coming with me, even though there’s only three booths for your major.”

 

Jyn grinned sarcastically. “Just goes to show how much the world needs students with a Masters in Communications.”

 

They continued walking down the booths until Jyn noticed someone familiar in the crowd.

 

“Oh god, what’s _he_ doing here?”

 

Bodhi followed Jyn’s gaze and found Cassian and Kay amongst the crowd of students. “Oh yeah, I forgot Cassian owns a company. Maybe they decided to have him set up a booth instead of sending some representative to little old Jedha,” he commented.

 

Jyn scrunched her nose and tried to disappear in the crowd. “I feel so sorry for the poor people who have to work for him. They must be glad to be rid of him for the summer.”

 

However, Kay was observant as always and noticed the two in the crowd.

 

“Bodhi, it’s good to see you,” Kay greeted. “Jyn, you don’t look awful today.”

 

Jyn looked at the blazer and pencil skirt she had worn and laughed. “You’re just upset that I beat you at _Just Dance_ at _The Whills._ Turns out those long limbs of yours are more of a nuisance than anything.”

 

Kay shook his head. “The sensor was poorly orientated.”

 

“We can have a rematch next time,” she replied. She looked over at Cassian, who stood silently beside his friend. Jyn could feel the grin on her face sink and turn into a frown. “Andor,” she said in greeting.

 

“Jyn,” he replied, awkwardly nodding his head.

 

“So, are you two here to set up a booth?” Bodhi asked.

 

“We are,” Kay confirmed. “We must be heading back now, our lunch break will be over in 35 seconds.”  

 

Bodhi waved goodbye to the pair as they walked away. “Jyn, I’m so proud of you. You were actually civil with Cassian.”

 

Jyn shoved Bodhi with her shoulder. “Oh, shut up. I still haven’t forgiven you for that video you and Baze filmed. Plus, there was no point in making a scene here. I probably would have been kicked out and then who would be here to give you moral support?”

 

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t the first time you’ve been kicked out of somewhere.”  

 

“You are asking for a black eye.”

 

“Oh, look!” Bodhi exclaimed as he walked out of what he dubbed Jyn’s punching range. “ _Empire_ has a booth set up here.”

 

The _Empire_ was an up and coming cybersecurity company based in San Jose. The company promised career stability, a great health plan, and secure income to its employees. Two smiling employees stood by the booth, ready to hand out pamphlets.

 

A slideshow of images projected photographs of _Empire’s_ Headquarters across the back wall. The recruiter smiled at Jyn and Bodhi. “Are you interested in a job with _Empire?_ ” he asked.

 

Jyn shook her head. “This isn’t my field, but it is my friend’s,” she said, pointing at Bodhi who was engaged in conversation with another _Empire_ representative.

 

Behind the man was a board featuring pictures of the executive board of the company.  Her cursory glance landed on the man who was labelled as the Director of Operations. Something about him was familiar.

 

She felt a sudden shiver run of recognition flood her senses; it was the man in white from her childhood.

 

The representative noticed Jyn’s attention had shifted to the board behind him. “That would be Director Orson Krennic,” he said. “He’s quite a fascinating man. He shot up through the ranks in the company and was eventually promoted to his current position in only six years.”

 

Jyn stumbled back a step. She could feel the anger surge in her. It was a familiar thrum of anger that was once a constant in her life when she still lived with Saw Gerrera. She fought against it. Instead, she ran out of the building as fast as she could in her polished black heels.  

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr! I'm koltarmi there as well.


End file.
